Equestrian Fanfiction: The Meet-up

by Lise


3. The Main Group

Trains came and went. Noon was the busiest time in Canterlot by far, as the masses of ponies attested. It had taken Lyra ten minutes to find a somewhat quiet spot near the platform, and considerable effort to keep it. Now that they were there all that was left was to wait.

"So, it's just you and me." Lyra turned to the two very quiet foals beside her. After that eventful lunch at the palace, the initial Nightling group had split up. Amethyst, who had trouble staying awake, had gone to the hotel room to get some sleep before the evening's main event. Soarin had been ‘volunteered’ by Prince Blueblood to give Coco a tour of Canterlot, and Raven had to rush to catch up with work. That had left Lyra with the task of greeting the first major group of arrivals. Seeing how anxious Chip and Dinky were, she had let them tag along.

"Hey, I think I see them!" Chip shouted, fluttering ten feet in the air. "They're right there!" He pointed a hoof somewhere in the distance.

"Will you stop shouting!" Dinky whispered, tugging him by the tail with her magic. "You're embarrassing us!"

Lyra tried to suppress a chuckle. The two were the weirdest pair she'd ever seen. Dinky—always quiet and reserved—looked at things with enough cynicism that would make a college professor seem cheerful. She only spoke when she had to, and even then used her inner voice for most of the sentences. Chip, on the other hoof, was a do now think later type of pony. Far too energetic even for a pegasus, he'd jump from one topic to the next with such seamless fashion that it would take hours for anypony to take notice.

The colt looked down. "You want me to give you a lift?"
"No!" Dinky shivered, quickly releasing her magic hold.

"This isn't Cloudsdale, Prince," Lyra said, trying to keep a straight face. "We don't shout over others here."

"Sorry." Chip flew back to the ground. "I'm just so excited! What do you think they'll look like? Brush said she's a pegasus, so maybe she'll be something like Fleetfoot? Or—" he stopped his ears perking up. "What if she's Rainbow Dash? That would explain so much!"

"Brush? Rainbow Dash?" Dinky scoffed. "You're in for a surprise."

Youth, Lyra thought. This was the point in time they could be as cynical or lighthearted as they wished: the tender age of heartbreak as the poet called it. Hopefully, they have that part spared.

"Oh, right! She said she was a supermodel," Chip noted, at which point Lyra choked. Damnit, Chip! she thought, coughing away from the two. Technically the colt wasn't wrong. There had been one point at which Fluttershy had been on several magazine covers, but calling her a supermodel was like calling Prince Blueblood a diplomat.

As Lyra was coughing, a pony bumped into her without as much as an apology. Unsurprising, considering this was the second busiest time at the station. Lyra looked up to catch a glance of the pony in question, but instead she saw something entirely unexpected: a short distance away, standing by the station’s water fountain, stood a pony Lyra hasn't gotten to see in months.

"Twilight?" Lyra shouted through the crowd. No reaction. The alicorn didn't budge, continuing to scribble something in a notebook. "Twilight!" she shouted again to the same effect. Some things never change. Lyra shook her head. "Twilight!" She said again, this time using a sound amplification spell.

The spell hit its target head on. Twilight's left ear twitched, then turned in Lyra's direction, followed moments later by the Princesses’ entire head. An expression of minor terror covered her face as she stared at Lyra, as confused as a newcomer to a Pinkie Pie party.

"Twilight." Lyra waved, inviting her to come over.

The alicorn hesitated. She glanced at her notebook, then back at Lyra. Purple wings moved into a really-sorry-but-I'm-doing-something-very-important-right-now position. Waiting for just long enough to be absolutely sure she was understood, Twilight then wrapped her wings around her chest in a sorry-next-time, goodbye hug. Lyra, however, wasn't dissuaded. Tilting her head she made a sad face, almost weeping "please" through the crowd—the same she had used when they were school-fillies, and the one she knew Twilight couldn't resist.

No! Twilight shook her head, wings briskly moving behind her. The alicorn frowned, glared at her friend, stomped on the pavement, then—with a sigh and an eye roll—trotted through the crowd.

"Will you stop guilt tripping me?" the Princess grumbled as she reached Lyra.

"Nope!" The mint unicorn laughed, then gave her a hug. "How are you, Twi? It's been ages!"

"Lyra, we see each other literally every day," Twilight began. "It's not like we're continents apart of anything."

"I know, I know. It's just that we don't chat anymore."

"Yes, you have me there. I keep meaning to, but you know how it is nowadays? Between my princess duties and Starlight I barely get a chance to rest my flank, let alone anything more. And you with your—" Twilight bit her lip. Her ears flopped down. "I heard what happened between you and your parents."

"Yeah." Lyra looked away. Guess I'll have to get used to the topic coming up. "Things happened. But let's talk of other things." I’m not letting that ruin this event! "What are you doing here? When you're not falling asleep in your library you're usually off saving Equestria."

"Ha ha." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "First of all, I do not fall asleep in my library! And second, I'm here on royal princess palace business. I just wanted to clear my thoughts for a while."

"Oh? Another speech?" Lyra grinned. "Or maybe—"

"Wherever you're going with that, stop." Twilight glared at her. "And what about you? I heard you moved permanently to Ponyville...again."

"True." Lyra nodded. "I'm actually, believe it or not, here organizing a meetup of my favorite book series. Want to join? Amethyst, Moondancer, and Sunburst are here. I bet we can grab Minuette, Lemon—"

"Oh, look at the time!" Twilight stepped back. "Maybe next time? Really sorry, but it's really not a good moment right now."

Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but before she could,Twilight had teleported out of sight.

Yep, some things never change. This was the first time Twilight used a teleportation spell to run away. Most often she'd just gallop. Being an alicorn clearly had its small advantages.

"Lyra! Lyra!" Chip flew up to her through the crowd. "The train is here!" The colt pointed towards the platform. "They're here! They're here!"

"Okay, okay," Lyra laughed. Chip was as excitable in real life as he was on the site. Looking at him, one would imagine Danny himself would arrive under the amazed stares of the crowd and proceed to greet them. That would be a sight. Part of Lyra hoped it would happen. At least then she'd be able to rationalize a large part of her life.

The train from Ponyville stopped at the platform. Chip's pushing came to an end, as he waited, wings fluttering with anticipation. Beside him, Dinky was trying to give the impression of being calm while she chewed on her lower lip. It's alright, filly. Lyra placed a hoof on her shoulder. She'll be there. She smiled the unspoken words as Dinky looked up.

"Is it them?" Chip pointed as dozens of ponies went onto the platform. "What do they look like?"

"Prince, I think we'll recognize them when we see—"

The sentence remained unfinished. Never had a greater understatement been made. Lyra knew of MasterOfThisAstra’s cosplay idea, she had even seen Fluttershy's in her provocative outfit, yet not in her wildest fantasies did she imagine the pegasus would walk through Canterlot in it. Whoa! Lyra thought, swallowing the saliva gathering in her mouth. To say that the outfit was remarkable would be like comparing a candle to the sun. Whoever the tailor was she had managed to capture both the spirit and appearance of Molly Williams of the Midnight Castle series: the blouse with the heart shaped kitten, the pink denim vest of badges—each holding a letter of Bellucio's name—even the pink trousers with the knee tear were crafted to perfection.

"Molly," Lyra whispered, forgetting herself.

The real magic, however, wasn't the clothes, but how Fluttershy's wore them. There were lots of jokes about her brief modeling career, but looking at her now Lyra had to admit she pulled it off spectacularly.

"Is she wearing rearware?" A hushed comment reached Lyra.

"That's brave."

"I say it's disgraceful, that’s what it is!"

A wave of whispers followed. The crowd registered the scene, conveyed their indignation, envy, and adoration in low voices, then returned to their everyday concerns. The spectacle, however, didn't end there. Shortly after, MasterOfThisAstra walked onto the platform in an even more elaborate outfit. The stallion had chosen to go with Bellucio's “rocker set” described in Am I Who I Am? One look at him was enough to tell Lyra exactly why Fluttershy had fallen head over hooves. MasterOfThisAstra's coat and short mane were a mix of silver and glistening gold, as if he'd been snatched from the cover of a fashion magazine. And he wore glasses.

"Wow, you weren't kidding." For the first time today, Chip seemed to be at a lack for words. "No way that's Brush!"

"That's what I said." Lyra nodded. "Well, let's go—"

"That's ridiculous!" a grey filly with blue rimmed glasses shouted as she hopped off the train. "Honestly! Karl I can understand, but Eric? If anything he's more likely to go with Caprice, assuming one of them could change form."

"But Thilver Thpoon!" A red-maned filly jumped behind her. She too had glasses. "Blazen and Eric would be thoooo cute! And they already have that'd they're betht friends."

"No! I'm not listening!" The grey filly raised her chin high, going next to Fluttershy. "Brush, please tell her!"

"Umm, well." Fluttershy dared a nervous smile. "There are no bad ships?"

"Seriously? Et tu Porcia?" The grey filly rolled her eyes.

"Stop annoying Scoop," MasterOfThisAstra hissed. "It was enough listening to your flawed logic throughout the ride."

"Flutterthy, you're okay with male to male shi—" before the red mane could finish, Fluttershy's wing covered the filly's mouth.

"Brush! Brush!" Chip Mint zipped through the crowd right to the group. "It's this really you? You look way different."

The usual exchange of greetings and usernames followed, yet Lyra had her attention elsewhere. As much excitement and laughter was coming from the group, there was just as much disappointment emanating from Dinky.

"Hey, you okay?" Lyra asked. Dinky nodded in the fashion that indicated she was anything but. "Don't blame yourself. Once she has sorted her issues she'll be okay. Maybe she just needs a weekend on her own to think things through?"

"I guess..."

Hang in there, kiddo. Sometimes life just has it in for us.


"You're leaving?” Lyra shouted. “Just like that?"

"Shh, mare. The neighbors will hear." Vinyl waved a hoof in a half-hearted attempt to calm her down.

"Fuck the neighbors!" Lyra fought to hold back tears of rage.

Today was supposed to mark her six year anniversary with Vinyl. It was difficult to imagine that when Lyra had woken up she had been the happiest mare alive. Plans had been made, reservations confirmed, she had even managed to scrape enough bits to buy that amplifier Vinyl had always wanted. Instead, she had found a note with "I'm leaving" on the pillow.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to me?!" Lyra covered her eyes with her foreleg.

"Mare, calm. It's—"

"Calm?!" Lyra stomped on the floor. An angry yell from the neighbor downstairs followed moments after. "You broke up with me with a note! On our six month anniversary! You didn't bother to tell me in—"

"I left a note because I knew you'd react like this!" Vinyl's horn flashed blue. An aura bubble enveloped them, then grew to fill the entire room. "Don't be the crazy marefriend. It must suck but it's done. No turning back."

"You're unbelievable!" Lyra turned away. "It's always about you. Always was! You know, they warned me about you! They told me how egotistical you are, but I was too much in love to see!"

"Oh, look who's talking."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyra snapped back, her eyes locking on Vinyl's.

"There!" The white unicorn pointed her. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! I tried to be subtle about it, but you never got the hint! I've been trying for six months! You think it was easy for me to just pack up and leave? Mare, I'm out of money, no place to stay, plus—"

"Then why did you go?" Lyra rushed forward. Before she knew it she was hugging Vinyl, clinging to her as if her very life depended on it. "Did I do something wrong?" Tears poured on her ex’s fur. "Didn't you like what we have?"

"Shhh, shhh."

Lyra could feel a hoof stroking her mane: a gentle touch that felt like sunlight caressing her...after she'd had her heart torn out. For minutes she remained like this, crying, weeping, until there were no more tears left. And all that time, Vinyl didn't say a word.

"What happened to us, Vinyl?" Lyra asked. "What did I do?"

"You never asked yourself the question," her ex whispered. "Not once."

"What question?"

"If I'm really gay."

A sudden chill swept through Lyra's body, sinking in deeper than the sadness, deeper than the hurt. What are you talking about? Lyra asked, although she knew. The fear she had six months ago had resurfaced. Or had it? She and Vinyl had been close since joining the conservatory. Their relationship had been very much unlike the ones Lyra had had with Moondancer, Amethyst, or the rest of her childhood friends; she had felt attraction towards Vinyl, and at the time it seemed Vinyl had felt the same.

Their first kiss was Lyra's experiment, the first time she stopped considering herself a monster and tried to act on her feelings. Her greatest fear was that Vinyl wouldn't reciprocate. Now, six months later, Lyra wasn't sure if it wouldn't have been better if she hadn't.

"You're not?" Lyra stepped back.

"I'm not sure." Her ex shrugged. "I kicked the hay with a stallion last week." Lyra covered her mouth with a hoof. "It was just a one night thing. I had done a gig, and I had a bit to drink, so why not. The thing is, I liked it. I liked it a lot. More—"

"Go ahead." Lyra clenched her teeth. "Just say it."

"I liked it more than the times with you." Vinyl turned away, avoiding Lyra's glance. "Look, I wasn't miserable with you. I—"

"Stop it."

"Like heck! I should have told you this days ago, not plot this whole thing like the coward I am! You're the marefriend everypony would dream to have, I just..." The glow around Vinyl's horn vanished, along with the magic bubble that had encompassed them. "I just need to figure things out on my own."

Lyra remained silent.

"Sorry, Lyra. I just want to think things through for a while."

You still broke my heart, Vinyl. And it hurts... it hurts so much.


"Hello, Nightlings." Lyra gave Fluttershy a gentle hug, careful not to ruin the costume. "I see you've gone back to modeling?"

"Umm, no," Fluttershy whispered, flustered. "I was... convinced to spend the day like this."

"I'm sure." Lyra winked. You're so easy to tease, Brush. "And this must be Mota?" She extended a hoof in greeting.

"Goldenboy." MasterOfThisAstra looked at Lyra, then at her hoof, then back at Lyra again. "I know it's a novel concept, but Celestial colleges have changed a bit since the five-hundreds. It's not for virgins only anymore."

"Err?" Lyra asked, uncertain what he was referring to. Before she could ask, Goldenboy hugged her—slightly more intensely than she'd wanted—then stepped back. His mane smelled of lilac, a peculiar choice as far as Lyra was concerned. "Well, you certainly make a great Bellucio. Good thing you didn't go for the white outfit from Unnatural Disaster," she attempted a chuckle. "That would have caused quite a—" a step away Fluttershy started shaking her vigorously "—stir."

"Funny you should say that." Goldenboy's smile widened. "I'll be wearing that tonight." Fluttershy sighed, looking at the ground.

"Wait! You have two costumes?" Lyra blinked. Talk about dedication.

"Yes, he's an idiot." The grey filly shoved herself into the conversation. "Hey, Lyra! I know I shouldn't do this at the station, but before we split there's something I want to give you."

The filly put her muzzle in her saddlebag and took out a small leather pouch. That's new, Lyra thought. She had expected drawings or even one of the miniature statues everypony was constantly talking about. This felt different.

Taking hold of the pouch with her magic, Lyra pulled it towards her and opened it. A metal edge emerged, gleaming under the rays of the sun. What is this?


"Silver Spoon..." Lyra was at a total lack of words. Shaped like a filly's horseshoe, the object was made of two silver parts, light and dark, each with a relief of a character on it. One was Lyra laying on the ground casually casting a spell, the other—her humanized self playing a lyre. If this were to happen it would, without a doubt, be the most eventful moment of her life. Just looking at it brought tears to her eyes. "It's... I don't know what to say."

"You didn't have an OC, so I just—"

"Come here, you!" Lyra levitated Silver Spoon up, then gave her a tight hug. "Thank you. You've no idea how much it means."

"Umm, okay?" Silver Spoon said, at a loss what had just happened.

"Now you made it get to her head." Goldenboy tugged on the tail of his still floating sister, and pulled her to the ground like a balloon at a fair. The action was not lost on Silver Spoon, who shoved him sharply in the stomach.

"It's out of this world." Lyra turned the silver horseshoe in the air, carefully inspecting every detail. If she wasn't in the middle of the train station, she'd do it for hours. Twenty five years and the best gift i get is from a filly I met on Midnight Castle aethernet site. Stars bless you, PaintDrop.

"I just made the drawings. I paid to have it made professionally," Silver Spoon explained. "It was a relief to see they didn't mess up."

"Well, I guess you own my soul now," Lyra laughed, putting the gift back in its pouch. "But you know what? I make a pretty good human!"

"Well, I can only—"

"You're PaintDrop, right?" Chip Mint shoved in in typical fashion, wings flapping with excitement. "Wow! I thought you'd be much older with the way you draw... and the things you draw," he added with a smirk. "I thought you'd be graduating."

"Well, I—"

"And you're RRBB!" Chip rushed to the red maned filly on the other side of Goldenboy and Fluttershy. "I thought you'd be way more threatening. I'm curious, though, does RRBB stand for anything? I've been trying to figure it out, but there's nothing in the scrolls that—"

"Really rude beautiful bitch," a sharp voice said from the train.

Everyone looked up. A pink filly, the same age as Dinky, stood at the wagon, uncertain whether to get down or not. Her violet mane was groomed to perfection, yet her eyes were red, as if she had spent the entire trip rubbing them.

"Di!" Dinky beamed. "You came!"

"Hi, all." The filly attempted to smile, but halfway there gave up.She instead let out a deep sigh.. Her lip trembled. "Umm, sorry I'm not much fun. I had a rough night, and..." She took a step backward into the train, almost afraid to leave its safety. "No matter. A quick rest and I'll be fine. Danny faced way worse in his adventures, am I right? What's a little sleep deprivation to a Nightling?"

Oh, Di. Lyra's ears flopped. The filly was trying to act brave, but everypony could see through her. Her eyes, her expression, even the faint scars still visible on her legs told the story of a filly that had gone through a rough period. It was possible that she had hurt herself far more than she had let on in her PMs with Lyra. Maybe she had tried to break a leg again? Maybe she'd tried something worse? Yet despite everything,she had chosen to fight for a chance at being happy.

"Di, you're tiara's missing," Dinky remarked.

"Oh." Diamond Tiara tapped the top of her head a few times, only now noticing the absence of her accessory. "It must have fallen off inside somewhere. I'll go find it."

"I'll help," Dinky offered. "Chip, you keep Twist and the others company, okay?"

"Err, sure." Chip nodded. Even at his level of obnoxiousness he couldn't mistake such a clear hint.

Good on you, Di, Lyra thought. You didn't give up. Not like I did.


It's not like I'm giving up. Lyra kept staring at the building. It's just temporary until things calm down.

It felt weird moving back to Canterlot, weirder still was renting a place of her own. So far Lyra had lived with her parents or shared a place with Vinyl. Neither option was particularly good right now: her parents weren't at all happy with her life choices, and as for Vinyl, Lyra still avoided her.

"You know you can stay at my house," Moondancer offered. "It's not the tidiest place in Equestria, but it's free."

"You know I can't." Besides you're up all night, every night, chatting with your boyfriend. "This place will be fine. I remember I considered renting one of those when I..." She paused. "It'll be fine."

"Well, if you change your mind, you can always be my guest."

"Thanks." Lyra adjusted her saddlebags. "It's appreciated. Really."

"Look, I need to go to a lecture, but I'm here if you need anything. Okay?" Moondancer gave Lyra a quick goodbye hug. "Anything, anytime. Got it?" she added, before breaking into a gallop.

Anything, anytime. Lyra thought. Bon Bon had offered the same. Despite her own complicated life she had managed to make the commitment. Meanwhile, Lyra—a university student—had gotten cold hooves because she didn't want to bare the stress of disappointing her parents. The move was just that, a way to prove to her family that she could live as a normal, respectable mare. Renting an apartment was the first step. Finding a job was the second.

With a deep breath and a prayer, Lyra opened the door and stepped into the building. The corridor was dark and narrow. Getting to her room proved somewhat of a challenge with the saddlebags constantly brushing against both walls. Third door to the right. Lyra focused her magic on the lock and input the aether code. There was a click and a creak, then the door swung open.

"Home sweet home, I guess," Lyra said. The room was smaller than it seemed on the pictures, yet well kept and cosy. It only had two rooms: a kitchen-bedroom and a small bathroom. No toilet, that was shared among the renters on the floor. Far from ideal, but not the end of the world.

Closing the door, Lyra dropped her saddlebags on the floor, then flopped on the bed. The sheets were rough and smelled of detergent. First thing she'd do after getting a job would be to buy new ones. Thank Celestia for university-sponsored part-time jobs. Without any income life would have been difficult.

Are you mad at me, Bon Bon? I know this isn't what we wanted, but I hope you understand. I had no choice but to compromise. Lyra closed her eyes. Her parents had pressured her into ending her "immoral relationship" and she, the fool she was, had agreed. The plan was to gradually win them over by doing what she was supposed to do: study, work, get good grades, and most of all stop sleeping around with some earth mare.

"Bon Bon," she whispered. "Why did you let me go?"

Lyra's stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. With all the stress lately she had completely lost her appetite, only occasionally remembering to have a bite. Her stomach, however, kept making its thoughts on the matter known.

Twenty seven bits. Those were her entire savings. Not much by any stretch of the imagination. It was enough for a snack at Doughnut Jo's. The thought had some appeal; Lyra was a regular there, though she ran the risk of bumping into a familiar face at a time she wanted to be left alone. The other option was to find a food stall in Canterlot park.

Jo's, park, Jo's, park. The unicorn mused. Park. I hope chestnuts are in season. She got up, took one quick look at the room and left. There'd be time to unpack later.

Half of the trees in the bark were bare. The autumn teams had started the preparations for winter. A few more weeks and snow clouds would be brought in from Cloudsdale. Lyra didn't particularly like winter, but she didn't hate it either. And, as the saying went, "spring was always more beautiful after snow".

"Singing telegram, Miss?" A unicorn approached her as she was walking. "Only today for ten bits you can have a message of two hundred words or less delivered to friends and family in musical form."

Argh! Another salespony! They had become a menace lately. Lyra smiled, trying to keep her composure. Maybe if I don't pay attention she'll go away?

"Is there anypony in your life you'd like to surprise, Miss?" The salespony levitated a brochure in front of Lyra's face. "Since you're my first customer, I'll also put in fifty additional words."

"I'm sorry, but the pony I'd wish to send a message is in Ponyville." Why did I say that? Lyra flicked her ears. Engaging in conversation with a salespony was the worst possible approach.

"Well, you're in luck!" A new brochure levitated before Lyra's eyes, replacing the last. "With Princess Twilight Sparkle making it her home, we have extended our services to cover that areas as part of the Princess Package! Ten bits for a staggering three hundred words sung by our charming and talented performers. What do you say?"

Three hundred words. For that much Lyra could send a song to Bon Bon, stars know she deserved it. Lyra bit her lip. Ten bits and should could explain everything, maybe even bring a smile to her marefriend's face. It would be a small gesture, but enough to show things between them hadn't changed. Maybe Bon Bon would send a singing telegram back? Maybe she'd come visit. Maybe...

"No, I don't have anypony to send a telegram to." Lyra looked at the ground. "Maybe later." Later would be better. We'll have plenty of time once I settle things with my parents.


"Do you prefer the attic or the guest room?" Moondancer asked, levitating a pile of books into the corner. "Guest room has a better bed, but is stuffy. Unless there are any last minute changes on the weather schedule it's expected to be clear skies for the next three days so you don't need to worry about leaky roofs. Not that my roof leaks!"

"Attic is fine." Lyra kept her eyes fixed on the scrollcase. Moondancer's collection was impressive. There were bookstores with less foal stories. The pearl in the crown, however, was the shelf right the middle where twenty empty slots patiently were patiently to be filled. "You've set this up for Everhere, haven't you?" Lyra asked with a sly smile. "And I thought you were 'just helping out with the site,' as you so insistently claimed."

"Hey!" A pillow flew through the room, hitting Lyra smack center in her face. "Ouch! So sorry!" Moondancer rushed to her. "You okay? I didn't mean to. Really!"

"I'll survive," Lyra pulled away. "And I deserved that."

"No, it's entirely my... Well, maybe you deserved it a bit." Moondancer hid a chuckle behind her hoof. "But yes, I admit, I like the new take on the series. I really don't know why Max is so determined to prove it's the worst thing since the changeling invasion. Every day she spams with 'definite proof' that the next chapter would ruin the franchise, mark the beginning of the end, and so on."

"Are you surprised? She said the same about Volume 5 at one point."

"Not like I can forget." Moondancer rolled her eyes. "She spent half her vacation here in Canterlot. Now, I love her and all, but sometimes..." She let out a deep sigh. "Anyway, we better get going."

"You just can't wait for him to get here." Lyra smirked. You've no idea how much I envy you. "You're right, though. Duty calls." She trotted towards the door. "I’m calling it now, this will be one wild meet-up."

"Won't Bon Bon be joining?" Moondancer levitated a few more books from the floor, stacking them against the only free wall. "She PMed me she was looking forward to seeing you in your native environment."

"I don't know. She got a sudden work thing." I should have made her something nice for breakfast. "One can only hope."

"Well why don't you PM her? At times a little pressure is what a relationship needs. If you ask me—"

A knock on the door cut Moondancer short—a rapid succession of raps that attempted, and failed, to form any meaningful rhythm. Both mares looked at each other, sharing the unspoken "she’s still doing that" glance. The knocking continued, going from funny to absurdly ridiculous. Lyra rolled her eyes and with an, "I can't take this anymore" grumble opened the door.

"Good morning, girls!" Amethyst waved from outside. "How are things?"

"It's two in the afternoon." Lyra frowned, stepping aside so that Amethyst could enter.

"That's your subjective opinion. Right, Moony?" Amethyst winked.

"She's got you there." Moondancer nodded, hoof on chin. “I did wake up an hour ago…”

"See? I'm always right." Amethyst looked around for a place to sit. Failing to find anything suitable she leaned against the wall between two stacks of books. "So what's up?" She tilted her head sideways, starting to read the book titles.

"We were going to meet Mighty." Lyra held the door half open. "Like literally going."

"Cool. Can I borrow this?" Amethyst pointed to one of the books in the stack. "It got a lot of good reviews, I remember."

"Max!" Lyra raised her voice. "Train station! Now!" She used some magic to pull her friend away from the wall. "Didn't you say you were getting some down time at the hotel, by the way?"

"Down time?" Amethyst laughed. "With five hyperactive foals and a pair of lovey-doveys? Nah, I prefer to tag along with you. Much more relaxing. Moony, it's okay I borrowed that, right?"

"Sure." Moondancer levitated the book out of the stack. "Just try not to chew the pages, okay?"

"That was one time, sheesh!" Amethyst stomped her hoof. "I was a filly back then! I apologized, didn't—"

"Girls!" Lyra shouted. "We can discuss the on the way to the station! Moony, stop rearranging the stacks! Max, grab that book and come along!"

Both Amethyst and Moondancer glanced at each other in silence. None of them moved an inch, a nonverbal conversation transpiring between them.

"We better go," Moondancer said at last, a stone serious expression on her face. "Else Lyra might ban us and lock the conversation."

"Yep." Amethyst nodded. "Do you think she'll lock the whole house or just the room?"

"Just the room. If she locks the whole house she won't be able to lock the rooms individually later on.

"Riiiight!" Amethyst waved a hoof in the air. "Mass room locking! Definitely better than a single house locking."

"Argh!" Lyra turned around. Having her friends joke about was all fine and well, but not when they were about to be late. "I'm going!" She trotted out at the sound of laughter behind her. When did I become so serious? Lyra thought. Back in high school she and Minuette were the crazy ones. Obviously, adulthood changed ponies in different ways.

The walk to the station was an interesting mix of gossip, high-school memories, and Midnight Castle discussions. Amethyst continued to express skepticism about the new direction of the series, while Moondancer tore down all of her theories, quoting old chat posts. Lyra contented herself to the occasional comment, mostly in relation to future chapter speculation. Her thoughts lingered on RRBB. The filly hadn't seemed particularly happy, even Dinky's efforts hadn't managed to cheer her up all that much. Lyra's hope was that the event—and the surprise appearance of S.Child—would prove a large enough distraction to put a smile on RRBB's face.

The amount of ponies at the station was staggering, even more so than before. According to the information board a number of trains had been delayed, causing annoyed commuters to fill up the area like bees squished in a jar. The Ponyville express was among the delays, the reason given being "sheep". On the upside, the train from the Crystal Empire was expected to arrive twenty minutes early.

"Well, we have ten minutes until your geek arrives," Amethyst noted. "We can grab a snack, what do you think?"

"Max, there's more to life than eating and sleeping." Moondancer shook her head. "And you know how bad diner food is."

"Look, it's hot and I'm thirsty!"

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea." Lyra mused. I could use some junk food, and it'll definitely be less crowded.

Moondancer glanced in the direction of the Canterlot bridge. A trickle of steam was visible on the horizon, yet it was impossible to tell which train it was coming from.

"Okay, you win!” Moondancer capitulated. “Let's grab some shakes."

It didn't take them long to find a suitable coffee shop. Train station prices managed to keep the majority of the crowd outside. There was no reason for anypony to pay thirty bits for a glass of shaved ice and some biscuits.

"I'll get us a table." Lyra scanned the coffee shop. "You two buy what you want to—" She stopped. Sitting alone by the window was somepony familiar, the same somepony Lyra had bumped into a few hours earlier. "Twilight?"

The Princess in question froze. Her eyes and ears slowly turned in Lyra's direction, as if she was a filly caught stealing from the cookie jar. A guilty smile formed on Twilight's face.

"Err, fancy meeting you here," Twilight said, her ears flat on her scalp. "How are you?"

"Don't you "how are you" me, Twi!" Lyra went to the table, sitting across Twilight with a loud thump. "You spin me some lie that you're here on official royal business, teleport without a proper goodbye, and now I catch you enjoying a—" Lyra glanced at the drink on the table "—frozen pumpkin surprise?"

"Look, it's really not what you think!" The Princess waved her hooves defensively. "The truth is I—"

"Twilight!" Amethyst joined in. "Mare, I never expected to see you here! How have you been? We rarely get to chat these days. What with you saving Equestria and me saving town hall." She let out a dry chuckle.

"Err, well, you know how it is." Twilight glanced at the exit. "Never a dull moment, am I right?"

"You can say that again." Amethyst nodded. "You wouldn't believe the shit I have to go through. The Mayor's pushing for city status again, which is ludicrous since we are far from the required population. And, get this, I have to seek out all living relatives of everypony in Ponyville to give weight to her claim. As if that would pass."

"Well I, sure that—"

"Guess who!" Moondancer snuck up, tapping Twilight on the shoulder. "Give me a hug, you old rascal!" Before Twilight could protest, Moondancer did just that, squeezing her tightly as if the two hadn't seen each other for years. "Why didn't you tell me you were in Canterlot? We could have caught up on stuff."

"That's what I asked her," Lyra grumbled.

"Let me just put the drinks here." A pitcher of lemonade and three bowls gently floated onto the table. "I'll go fetch you a bowl as well."

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight protested. "I was about to leave anyway. You know, important work and stuff."

"Ha! I bet you're on a date and are ashamed of having us around," Amethyst snickered. "Right? Right?"

"Pff, as if!" Twilight waved a hoof. "He's just somepony I consider a friend."

"A-ha!" Amethyst let out a victorious shout, causing several patrons to look in their direction. "I knew it!"

"You know nothing, Max!" Twilight snapped back. "If I say he's a friend then he's a friend! Seriously, the way you jump to conclusions is ridiculous. And even if he were my coltfriend, that would be no reason for me to be ashamed by anypony! Would you think logically for once and—" The Princess stopped, only now noticing that all mares at the table were staring at her with their mouths ajar. "What?"

"I'll go to the fountain to cool off." Amethyst stood up and left the coffee shop, not even taking a lick of lemonade. Twilight stared at her, the tips of her wings tingling.

"I don't understand..." The Princess turned to Moondancer. "What happened? What did I do wrong?"

"Err, Twi." Lyra smiled with sympathy. "You called her Max."

"So? I don't see what—" Twilight stopped. "Oh," she uttered, hiding her face in her hooves. "Oh..."

"You're DarkSparkle, aren't you?" Moondancer moved closer. "I thought the posts sounded familiar, but since I couldn't trace the aether dig, I assumed it came from the Palace. Serves me right for not sending a reverse ping and checking the time delay."

No answer came. Seconds of silence became minutes. All three mares sat at the table without saying a word. On occasion one of them would pour herself some lemonade, then return to the silence. Damn it, Twi! Lyra sighed internally. How do you always manage to make things weird? It’s just like Moony's birthday all over again.

"It's okay, Twilight." Moondancer took the Princess' hoof into her own. "We're not upset. We just want to know why you didn't tell us."

"Because..." Twilight sniffled. "What would ponies think if they learned that the Princess of Friendship writes fanfiction for a colt's series? And I'm not talking about Princess Celestia. What will the press say? What will the ordinary ponies say?"

"That's all?" Lyra arched a brow. "What would they think because you have a weird hobby? For one they'll probably think it's cool, since it's you doing it. I mean, come on, who else has saved Equestria so many times in the last decade and earned her alicorn wings, literally? Also, did you forget what I said on the site? What happens on the site stays on the site."

"We would have kept your secret, Twi." Moondancer nodded. "I thought you knew you could trust us."

"I do, it's just..." Twilight closed her eyes, then took a deep breath of air. A moment later she exhaled. "You're right. I should have told you, not act like a spoiled child." She opened her eyes. "To be honest, I didn't expect to return to the site. After Max's...criticism—" chuckles escaped Lyra and Moondancer "—I had decided to move on to the next fanfic site. I only checked it again out of curiosity the following day and...well, you pretty much know what happened after that."

"Meanwhile Max spent close to two days crying." Lyra shook her head. Sorry if I'm harsh, Twi, but it has to be said. "Though, I'm glad you replied to her PMs after your return. She was so happy back then."

"Yeah, I noticed." Twilight dared a smile. "At times it almost felt as if she was hitting on me."

"Not impossible. Personally, I thought Jade was. Quite vigorously at that."

"Oh, he definitely was. He even sent me some love poems." Twilight levitated her slushy and took a sip. "In fact we agreed to meet at the fountain once he arrives from the Crystal Empire."

"So that's why you were trying to shoo me away?" Lyra grinned. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Yes, well—"

"Crap!" Moondancer suddenly jumped to her hooves. Once more several heads turned in her direction. "You were supposed to meet with him at the fountain?" she asked, grabbing Twilight by the shoulders.

"Err, yes?" Twilight blinked.

"Oh, merciful Celestia." Lyra facehooved.

"Why?" Twilight looked from Moondancer to Lyra, then back again. "What?"

As Moondancer began to answer the door of the coffee shop swung open and three ponies entered. One Lyra instantly recognized as Sunburst—Moondancer's significant other, better known as MightyDragon on the site. Closely behind him was Amethyst who had her hooves wrapped around a rather attractive crystal pegasus.

"Hey, girls," Amethyst said, with a smile brighter than the sun. "Guess I was wrong. Jade the Evervirgin really is a stallion."